Two weeks of mostly eating

I am back after two exciting weeks of mostly eating in the States.  It was actually a little over two weeks but, I am the only one counting. They were exciting weeks because Christmas eve, Christmas Day, a trip to Vegas, my birthday, New Year's Eve and New Year's day were included in the trip.

This was my first Christmas at home with family since I moved to Vicenza in 2010. It was the longest time I spent in the States since then. Not much has changed. What has changed is my awareness of the diversity of the people, places and things to do. I could go on here for hundreds of words detailing my first visit to Italy in 1993 as part of my college's undergraduate program, and how that semester abroad radically changed the course of my life, but I won't. I will say that I have been fascinated with Italy and Italians for as long as I can remember. At times the intensity recedes about the country and it's people, but it always returns.

All that being said, living here can be a hassle for a few key reasons that were highlighted after a brief jaunt to my NYC hometown. First things first: food.

As we drove past Red Lobster I stared longingly out the window, and said, "Wow, Red Lobster! Sure wish I could go there..." My dad chuckled,"If you want we can stop at Red Lobster for dinner?" My response: " I wish! It's 5:30 pm. No restaurants are open at this hour." My dad looked at me as if I had gone mad. Of course it was open and crowded. There was a 15 minute wait to be seated. Eating at restaurant anytime, day or night, that you want. One of the many things American city dwellers take for granted. In Italy most restaurants and shops close from 2 pm to 4 pm for reposo. Gives them enough time to eat and take a nap in the middle of the day. I forgot Americans do not indulge in the ubiquitous Italian practice.

Another change I noticed at home was how nice everyone is. New Yorkers are infamously rude and mean. I think we earned this back in the bad old days of the 1970s and 1980s when New York was sort of a scary place. Things began to change in the 1990s and the people of my hometown have grown to be much nicer. For the most part strangers were super nice and curious about me. The curious part was a little of a surprise. Everyone assumed I was from somewhere else.

Perhaps it was my wide-eyed expression when I walked into the new Joe Fresh store on on Fifth Ave. Or my confusion about when I would receive the $5 coupon I would earn if I signed up for a Duane Reade card. Upon bumping into my former boss from Deutsche Bank outside of Lord & Taylor she hugged me and remarked that I looked very foreign. The irony of her comment is that I was not wearing the fancy little Italian coat I bought in Vicenza. Instead I was wearing an old coat I bought at Macy's years ago but, it had a hood and it was freezing in New York so  I wore it.

The trip to Vegas was much tamer than in the past, but much more rewarding visiting with Ryan, a Vegas virgin who fell in love with the place with the same intensity I did my first.